Everything I know I learned at Xavier School

The early years of our lives are filled with learning, fun, and trials. You will learn a lot in college and in your work later on, but our most formative years are the early ones.

I studied at Xavier School Greenhills from grade school to high school. Recently, I find myself thinking back on the things Xavier teachers taught me.

• The value of charity. When I was six years old in pre-school, I clearly remember the story of a boy named Kree. At that time, in the 1970s, Kree appeared as a stick figure in a slide projector. As I watched, I was mesmerized by his story. Kree had many adventures in helping the poor in his community. He would assist beggars, comfort the downtrodden, and just do good deeds.

During the latter part of the story, Kree tried to stop two of his quarrelling friends who were hurling stones at each other. Our eyes were glued to the screen as Kree charged in between his friends to try to appease them. Sad to say, Kree got hit by a stone and he died at a very young age.

I was shocked. This could not have happened to Kree, the lovable boy. Then when everybody thought his life was a tragedy and a failure, Kree was welcomed by Jesus with open arms and now he’s in heaven. I still remember little Kree. I thought what Kree did was the best thing anyone could hope to achieve.

• Service. Another episode I remember from Xavier  School is the small chapel we had near our grade school gym. Every lunchtime, some of us would go into this comfy, air-conditioned, and darkly lit chapel. We would say a quick prayer, bask in the cool air, and then go back out to do whatever boy stuff we were doing.

And during calamities, we would have our regular fund-raising drive. We would bring old newspapers, old clothes, canned goods, cash money, all to be donated to typhoon victims. Still our Jesuit priests (Father Barbero and Father Zuloaga) would keep ingraining in us the importance of service and to be a “man for others.”

And on Fridays, the whole grade school population would attend Mass in the covered gym. We would sit beside our close friends, make faces when teachers weren’t looking, and belt out the Mass song for the day.

One song was a particular favorite. You may know the song entitled Service. My best friend, Ronie Sy-Facunda, would sing in harmony and it goes like this:

We are made for service to care for all men. We are made for love both time and again. A love that will lead through sorrow and pain. A love that will never die with strain.”

Life can be so lonely when nobody cares. Life can be so empty when nobody shares. But if man gives himself to help other men, the happiness of Christ will live within.

I know the song sounds corny, but we never found it corny then. And I think it’s still relevant now.

•Choosing your vocation. In fourth year high school, we were asked by our teacher what we would like to become when we grew up. I was in Section High 4-C, and there were 13 students who spoke ahead of me, saying they wanted to become a doctor in order to help others. So when the teacher called me, I just said the same thing, not knowing what medicine is. Looking back, I’m sure each of us was somehow influenced by our friends.

• Friendship. Although it’s been decades since high school, our batchmates are mostly together and we still communicate often. Work friends and college friends can be close. But grade school friends know you through and through. You can’t hide anything from them.

I was lucky to be in Batch ’81 of Xavier School. Indeed, lucky to have Miguel G. Belmonte, president and CEO of The Philippine STAR as a batchmate. Also, Gibo who was just Gilbert Teodoro then and who often teased me as a daddy’s boy.

My other batchmates you may know are dean of PLM Law School Atty. Ernesto Maceda Jr. and Goldilock’s CEO Richard Yee.

I owe a lot also to Dobbin Tan (past alumni president), Gilbert Sy (batch president), Samson Lim, Juanito Chua, Harold King, Arthur Chung, Robert Tan, Nelson Chuaunsu, Angelo Yu, Anthony Sia, Stephen Sowy, and many other classmates.

When you see your old friends, you don’t see them as president this, doctor this or attorney that. For us, they are just elementary school kids, wearing khaki shorts, sweating during gym class, and laughing the innocent laughs of yesteryear.

For 13 years, the Jesuit priests and teachers of Xavier School taught us the meaning of service and charity. Come to think of it, is there a higher goal in life than this?